The Accidental Henge
by JAC-Ossuary
Summary: Frustrated with academy life, Naruto steals a third years training manual and resolves to teach himself the Henge before anyone else in his class. Done on the night of a full moon, Naruto has no idea what his attempts will cause. Naru/Ino Fem!Naru/Ino
1. Prologue: Teaser

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **_**Teaser**_

It was night in the forest of Konoha and the gentle light of the full moon shone down on a lonely child. Uzumaki Naruto was all alone and sitting out in the forest on this night for a purpose. It had been 6 months since he had started at the ninja academy and for 6 months it felt like he was being tortured. The children either berated him like the villagers or avoided him like a disease. The teachers would never help him when he asked for it and he was damn sure that he was being forced to take harder tests than the other kids.

Scratch that, he KNEW he was when he compared his test questions one day to a kid that sat next to him. When he asked his teacher about it, Mizuki simply accused the boy of cheating and from then on told him to sit by himself. Naruto really could not figure out why it seemed like everyone didn't like him... why everyone seemed to hate him for something. However, Naruto had a goal in life. It was inspired by one of the few people that shone light into his world.

The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would usually once a month come by and visit Naruto. He would ask how he's been, take him for a meal at their favorite spot and then sometimes would buy him something. When Naruto asked the aged man why he went out of his way for him, the wizened man simply smiled and patted his head. "_Naruto, as a hokage I see everyone in the village as family. I look out for and protect all who live here in Konoha. That includes you, you know?_" That was when Naruto proclaimed to the Sandaime that HE would become the next hokage and protect all in the village.

Currently, Naruto was practicing something he overhead another class talking about while he stalked the school during lunch. If the hokage was the strongest ninja in the whole village then it was only natural that Naruto start training on jutsu early. His class had talked about chakra; it's meaning, how they use it and how to manipulate it for their needs. It was a little underhanded of Naruto who was able to sneak into the teachers office and stole a third years study book. The first jutsu he should learn would have to be important and yet simple. Choosing based on the difficulty, he picked out a move from the lowest rank, E. He was going to do something higher but when he remembered something that Ayame told him when attempting to make a special ramen at the store but was confused by the instructions "_Always start with the basics._" If only he knew the henge was the hardest of the beginning three jutsu.

Thus, Naruto finds himself enveloped by the forests of Konoha that are inside the walls. Nestled in a zone that was not a part of any marked training ground meant that he would probably remain alone and able to train without incident. He had already found out once that using training areas before being a ninja was prohibited. He still had fun that day running from the two chuunin before losing them in his neighborhood.

Letting out a sigh, the blond haired boy mulled over his thoughts on the justu he was working on. The Henge illusion. An infiltration and stealth jutsu would be amazing to have under his belt. Not only for the fact that he knew it but also because it would help him out in so many ways. Hiding, pranking and running away were at the top of the list. A slight shudder ran down the boy's spine but he had no idea why.

Gathering himself, Naruto began to mold his chakra to build the illusion. Being Saturday, he spent the entire day working on getting this to work and met with utter failure for the bulk of the day. It was hard to get the chakra right. The instructions said that he needed to have a constant amount of chakra flow in order for the illusion to properly hold together. It would have to flow like a perfect stream… for Naruto who had never practiced using chakra before, this was a nightmare.

It was sometime near midnight and he was feeling exhausted but he kept pushing. He could feel himself getting closer, a few times he saw his form waver a bit in the light. However, sleep and hunger were pulling at him, so Naruto decided to put his all into a last attempt. Slowly, Naruto brought his hands up to perform the seals. "Dog…" Pulling his chakra together Naruto began to mold the strength within him. "Boar…" Forming an image of himself but as a girl with pigtails he kept molding his chakra and seeing what he wanted to look like. "Tiger…" Pushing his accumulated chakra together and calling upon the image in his mind Naruto attempted to finish the technique.

"HENGE!" He screamed out to the forest. Simultaneously, three things happened. A plume of smoke erupted and covered Naruto from view, the moon seemed to flicker in the sky and there was a flash inside of Naruto's mind. It distorted not only the chakra he accumulated towards the technique but also abolished the mental image Naruto held for his illusion. Another flash in his mind showed that of a girl his age with astonishing red hair.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto quickly brought up a mirror he kept nearby. A strangled cry erupted from the forest that scared some birds from their rest and flew off into the night. Staring back at him from the mirror was none other than the visage of Uzumaki Naruto. "I'll just have to try harder tomorrow I guess… I can't wait to get home and sleep though. I'm exhausted!" Proclaiming his intentions to the silent forest Naruto's footfalls padded their way to his dingy home where he promptly hit the bed and fell asleep in an instant. If only he knew that this night would be his last as he had known it.

=o=

Sunday, just another day in the monotony to Naruto. Sleep still clinging to his eyes, he groggily made his way towards the bathroom to start his morning ritual. Feet dragging, the form made it's way toward the small and dank apartments sole area of release. Unceremoniously lowering his pants and boxers, Naruto began to relieve himself with eyes still closed until he finally noticed something. His legs felt warm and wet. _"Great… just pissed myself._" He thought irately to himself. Seeking to fix the problem Naruto reached down to adjust his aim. It lingered for a moment when his hand found no purchase in the air.

Eyes snapping open, Naruto looked down to let out something he never in his short life so far thought he would, a girl's scream.

**A/N The idea for this one just kind of took over my mind recently. That and until I pour it out of my mind, I can't seem to concentrate on the other story I have started. **_**A Warped Angel and the ninetailed demon**_**. Later today I'm going to post the rest of what my wily mind has constructed so far. This little teaser is good simply because I love cliffies, **_**ciao!**_


	2. 1: Discoveries

**JamJackEvo - A sort of gender-bender via henge story, huh. The idea has a lot of merit and at least it's not one of the most cliched situations like Naruto is actually BORN a girl and the boy-form is an advanced henge . . . is it? Hmm. **

_**Just going to have to read and find out! P.s. I try not to do cliché things.**_

Morbitsu - **You have me second guessing the situation with Naruto's attempt at a Henge. At first glance, it seems like the plume of smoke that covered Naruto manifested from a successful Henge, like it usually happens when someone preforms the technique. HOWEVER, after re-evaluating the situation, 3 things happened at once: a plume of smoke appeared, a flicker in the sky was noticed, and a flash inside Naruto's mind was created. To me, it seems like someone purposely distracted Naruto at a critical moment. the plume of smoke could be a smoke bomb thrown by someone. the flickering of the moon could be the assailant's quick escape, and the flash inside Naruto's mind would be a loss of concentration, thereby causing him to create a whole new technique accidentally.**

_**Hmm, an interesting theory indeed which I will neither confirm or deny. (Where's the fun in that?) I will say that all 4 details of the event are interconnected (you missed one, not saying which) but that will be left for a later time to evaluate.**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

A shrill scream emanated from the apartment of one Uzumaki Naruto. Had anyone been close that morning the apartment would have probably been rushed and the boy assaulted on the spot for attacking a girl in the demons home. Having no clue now, later in life Naruto would be happy that the assigned ANBU guards were late this Sunday morning.

Hyperventilating, Naruto tried to quickly calm down. Tried and failed. Another piercing scream issued out from the dirty little apartment. Staring back at the body in the mirror, Naruto couldn't believe what was looking back. Instead of shocking yellow locks, striking red hair now adorned the child's forehead. It was slightly longer than the mop that used to be there, hanging just slightly below the shoulders. The face was a little slimmer; some would probably denote more feminine but still marked with the telltale whisker birthmarks that were there before. If it wasn't for the situation, Naruto would have said the face was pretty cute.

"What the hell…" still shocked at the change in voice, Naruto slowly brought a hand up and stroked the new face. Smooth and soft but more importantly… real. The thoughts tumbling like a waterfall through Naruto's mind was that this henge had been a success and he was looking at an illusion. The problem was that Naruto knew it couldn't be. The henge required constant concentration and chakra. Neither of those were on the now red-headed child's mind at the moment. Pinching himself several time, Naruto was mildly sure it wasn't a nightmare.

Naruto just stood there for what felt like an hour, staring back at the sky blue orbs that windowed to the fear inside the mind, running fingers through the new hair cascading around the different face glaring back. "This is just too weird… and my voice is so… girly now." Still shaken, Naruto decided to do one of the few things that would always calm the mind, eat some ramen.

A few soft foot falls later had Naruto staring down the teapot on the stove top. Normally thinking of how 3 minutes to boil water for ramen was far too long, the thoughts currently on Naruto's mind was what to do now. Mumbling in whispers, Naruto mulled over what to do. "I can't talk to anyone at school about this. After all, I DID steal that scroll… Can't talk to Teuchi or Ayame… they aren't ninja anyways. The only person I could ask is jiji…"

A mental image of a very angry Sandaime Hokage berating Naruto for stealing a scroll and attempting to teach himself made a very scary image indeed. Taking the whistle of the teapot as a sign to stop thinking about it for now, Naruto indulged in the precious treat that was ramen. On a strange whim, Naruto decided it wasn't salty enough today and fixed just that.

Two minutes and a satisfied burp later left Naruto sitting at the kitchen table with the earlier thoughts beleaguering the mind again by what to do. That's when it hit like a brick to the face. What would the other people who saw the change think? Would they glare the same? Insult the same? The only answer Naruto could come up with was no. It would probably be worse now if he was a she. A few of the villagers more base insults coming back to haunt the mind… that and the shiver from remembering exactly how it felt to take a brick to the face.

The only thing to do was to see if it would wear off but needed some way to hide the change… The sound of a fist hitting a head rang out, Naruto felt he had the answer. If attempting the henge was what caused this predicament; logic only said that attempting the same henge in reverse would fix it… right? Moving to the bedroom, Naruto sat down on the cushy mattress and attempted to concentrate.

Collecting and molding Chakra, forming the hand seals to focus the chakra and imagining the image of Uzumaki Naruto the boy was a simple feat today. A cry of "Henge" and a poof of smoke later left him apprehensive as to the result. Raising the mirror from last night, he cautiously lifted the reflective surface to see the fruit of his labor. Staring back was the usual face of Naruto, his regular self. Despite the feeling of a pull on his mind, Naruto let out a long sigh of relief. He was glad he fixed the problem early today, after all, when he went to go make that ramen he realized there were no more cups left.

Naruto hated shopping. Not because of the act of shopping, no he hated the people in charge of the businesses who would often either chase him out or berate him while he shopped. He was glad for Ichiraku Ramen's cheap prices for lunch because instant ramen always seemed so expensive at the stores he went to.

Shaking his head, Naruto decided that now was as good a time as any to go to the store and stock up for a while. Nearly bounding off the bed to leave the house, Naruto missed the satchel from last night sitting near the doorway until it was too late. Catching his foot, Naruto toppled to the floor with a loud thud and a poof of smoke. Letting out a soft groan she stood up and pushed the red hair away from her eyes. "_Just a small setback, on to ramen!_" Naruto thought to herself.

She got to the front door before stopping dead still, hand still on the doorknob and about to twist. Slowly, Naruto walked back to the bathroom to check on something… surely… it was just because of the fall that she thought there was red hair. Sometimes after being hit by Sakura she would see stars after all… Unfortunately, staring back from the mirror was the same red haired beauty from earlier and the only word spoken this time was a soft curse of the morning… "Shit…"

=o=

Monday rolled around far too quickly for Naruto's taste. After an entire day, he was still a she. Afraid to go outside in the new form, Naruto used her newly practiced henge to at least look and sound like her old self… at least until she could think of how to fix the problem. This was an adventure in and of itself. Trying to concentrate on keeping up the illusion while ignoring the glares and remarks of villagers and at the same time being overly cautious so as to not cancel the henge made for a VERY nervous Naruto. It took nearly three times as long as normal to reach the academy, not that it mattered since she normally left early anyways to avoid the larger crowds.

School was nerve racking that day. Sitting in a secluded spot of the class room, staying quiet and trying her best to keep up the illusion meant for a rather nice breather for the rest of the class and teachers. No one said anything, they were happy the normally loud and abrasive child was quiet and cold over in the corner of the room. No pranks, no yelling and no arguing… It was a nice change to most. Sometime after lunch but before the end of class, Naruto nearly lost it. She was so hungry due to a lack of eating after breakfast yesterday and no food today. Too scared to shop while under the henge no jutsu for fear of it falling while in a public place meant no food to eat.

As much as Naruto trusted Teuchi and Ayame of Ichiraku Ramen, she wouldn't chance going there either. So here Naruto sat. Starved and tired while waiting for class to end so that she could go home and try to think of something… ANYTHING to fix this problem. Naruto was counting down the time to leave for the safety of home "_Only two hours to go… only one hour to go… thirty minutes… 10 minutes… 2 minutes… COME ON CLOCK MOVE FASTER!_"

Surprising everyone in the room, as soon as the very first bell signaling the end of the school day sounded, Naruto was already out of the room and rushing to make her way home. Not even a quarter of the way there, Naruto had to stop to rest. Going on little sleep, no food and a taxed mind was hard to due and keep up the illusion. Through all of this, Naruto never noticed the figure that was tailing him.

=o=

Ever since she woke up that morning, Yamanaka Ino felt today had some pretense to it. A nagging feeling that just wouldn't shake even after bringing it up with her father. She had just recently started training in her family jutsu much to her fathers joy but was worried something might be wrong in how she was performing them possibly.

Inoichi just shook his head while looking at her "Don't worry princess, you probably just feel bad that you broke off your friendship with that nice Haruno girl. You two were best friends up until you started at the academy… never did tell me why you two broke off." He consoled while brushing a lock of hair away from her blue eyes.

Of course, it was all Sakura's idea to break off the friendship, too caught up in her chase for Sasuke to stay friends with a 'rival' but she never said such to her parents. Rolling her eyes, Ino got up to leave while addressing her father "I guess I'll be fine then dad, I'm off to class!"

Watching her leave, Inoichi could only shake his head. Of course word got around to him about the little spat between the two about the Uchiha child. The idea left a sour taste in his mouth however; after all he never did like the smug clan that felt they were above the rest of the village. Unconsciously, Inoichi muttered out his thoughts "I really don't like that Uchiha kid and his little fans…"

Giving a heavy sigh, he felt the soothing hands of his wife Izumi caress some of the stress in his shoulders away. Continuing her ministrations, she set her chin down on top of his head and rasped out a low "it's just a phase dear, they will be friends again and forget all about the ice cube. Just wait." She continued her massage of Inoichi's shoulders while whispering lowly into his ear "I think that after you clean up breakfast you should meet me upstairs to continue that talk of a son…" She finished her thought by giving a light nibble on his ear. Feeling him seize up, Izumi leaned back and sauntered her way upstairs. The next thought to pass through Inoichi's mind as he got up to clean up the mornings mess was a simple agreement with his old friend Shikaku. "_Women are troublesome but worth it._"

The walk to class soon turned into a sprint when Ino spotted her once-friend Sakura making a beeline to the classroom. Soon the pair were jogging neck and neck running their way to the classroom in their ritualistic attempt to make it to class first and claim the seat next to their idol, Sasuke, first. The winner of said race to the classroom won the right to sit next to the class's heart throb. Most of the time, Ino won due to timing and training.

Today however, there was a vital piece of information that would change everything she thought about. The difference today was the form of one Uzumaki Naruto; who is normally loud, boisterous, energetic and always chasing after Sakura every day… was walking slowly to the academy and completely ignored the pink haired blur that passed him by. The usual in the morning would be the blond haired tornado chasing after her while begging for a date. Yet today he didn't even register her passing… Did he finally get a clue that she likes Sasuke and give up?

Caught in her reverie, Ino didn't notice that Sakura gained a lead on her until it was too late. Huffing and puffing, the blue eyed girl arrived at the classroom to see a smug looking Sakura seated next to the Uchiha boy already. Turning her head to give attention to Ino, Sakura said her daily remark "I win again Ino-pig! You seem to be getting slower… maybe it's time to give up? Ah well, take your seat at the back."

"You just got lucky today billboard brow, I got a little distracted is all." It really didn't feel like her normal bite back to Sakura. Her mind slightly blaming today's loss on Naruto while she shuffled to take a seat next to the sleeping Shikamaru. A short while later, said whisker faced boy slowly made his way into the classroom. He avoided looking at anyone nor did he say anything and just took a lonely seat in the back.

Now, Ino wasn't part of the Interrogation squad but even she could tell something major was off about the boy. His normal entrance would always be loud and filled with laughs. Sometimes he would even leave some sort of prank to use against their teacher but today he was somber and quiet. "_I wonder what he might be planning… is it going to be some kind of class wide prank? Or maybe it was another one of his pranks against villagers that left him running like mad from the village patrol._"

Of the class, Ino was one of a select few people that noticed the now quiet boys' actions. Hyuuga Hinata, also near the back seats, also noticed the change in the blonde's demeanor. Her mind was a torrent of worry for the boy that she held a crush for. While she may look up to Naruto for his courage and strength, she would never get the gumption to approach him about it. Not before it was too late anyway.

Aburame Shino was quickly informed by his kikaichu bugs that something was off about Naruto today. Not only was there a different scent wafting from his form but there was also a tangible amount of chakra leaking from him. Shino almost allowed his bugs to drain some of Naruto's chakra just to see if it was possibly a completely different person just trying to do something in the boy's absence. Logging the information away for later, Shino decided to consult his parents about the news and see what their opinion was.

The last character was one Inuzuka Kiba. Being from a clan that associated itself closely with canines to the point where they themselves developed similar nuances, instincts and abilities it was an easy job to sniff out the vastly different scent that now clung to the quiet boy in the back. If it wasn't for the fact that Kiba really didn't care about Naruto he might have said something about it. Sure, his pranks usually got a laugh but the kid was just too much of an idiot in class to be friends with. He had an image to build in class and being friends with dead last wasn't on the list.

The rest of the day for Ino flowed along as per usual. Well about as usual as it gets when a certain loud and blond boy is stuck on the surface of your mind. It was antagonizing, trying to think of what Naruto had planned. She wasn't one for just watching things happen however, she would definitely make him spill the truth today. She could always make Chouji or Shikamaru talk under her pressure after all.

Eight long hours later signaled the end of the class day and Ino barely caught and kept up with the now fast moving enigma of the day. He was completely moving in a completely opposite manner from this morning. While earlier he was slow and careful in his maneuvering through the village he was now bounding and leaping off in directions and just narrowly missing a disastrous trip into carts or slamming straight into wandering people. Ino noticed that everyone around seemed to be glaring rather intently at the speeding blonde but simply assumed it was due to the brash race to his destination.

It was when Naruto took a quick turn into an alley that let Ino catch her prey. Rounding the corner at top speed, Ino nearly crashed into the now exhausted boys frame just inside the dingy passage. She noticed that he was bent over, hands on his knees and gulping in for air. Wobbling to right himself, Naruto finally caught a second wind and bent back upwards just in time for Ino to call him out. "Yo, Naruto!"

=o=

The run from the classroom was the hardest thing Naruto had _ever_ done in his life. To keep up the frail henge illusion while barreling down crowded streets while dodging not only the static clutter of the streets but also the bustling populace was an exercise in extreme control for the eight year old Naruto. Not even taking time to register the remarks or scowls from the angered villagers Naruto bobbed and weaved from street to street trying to get home as fast as possible. All during class there was a sense of fear slowly welling up inside him.

It was bad enough that people avoided or ostracized him as a boy but if he suddenly became a girl in the middle of class? His life was surely over. It didn't help that he could swear he felt eyes boring into him all during the day from over the class. Could they tell? Could they see through the illusion hiding what happened? It didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered to Naruto was making it home to rest, regain the days spent chakra for holding the henge all day and finally get some much needed sleep. The last two nights were short naps due to the excessive training he forced on himself.

Nearing his corner of Konoha, Naruto started feeling a bit more secure. He knew the coming area like the back of his hand. In fact… just ahead was an alleyway. Said alleyway would have a corner to it that would allow him to hide and rest a bit secure in the knowledge that it held no windows from the buildings to peek at him. Catching a sharp pair of turns to enter the alley and hide from view, Naruto took a few moments to calm his heart and regain lost breath.

After swallowing mouthfuls of precious oxygen, Naruto steeled his concentration to hold for the rest of the trip home. Hope eked into his mind at successfully making it the whole day without being found out by anyone. If he could just hold this up… whatever hope he held was dashed on the possible bleak future of hiding a new truth if he could not find a way to fix what happened.

Screwing his determination down, Naruto straightened his back out and turned around to finish his perilous journey home. However, fate has a way of really screwing you and then piling it on. Standing not two feet from Naruto was one Yamanaka Ino. Her soft blonde bang was covering one eye while the other blue orb seemed to drill into his mind. It was a split second later that he was brought out of a reverie by two simple words. "Yo, Naruto!"

=o=

Visibly shocked, Naruto almost jumped into the hair by the shock of seeing Ino in front of him. Not so much that it was Ino there but that someone had followed him all this way. Mind racing over the details, he could feel the concentration slipping a little.

Ino was surprised to see Naruto jump like that but then again, he probably didn't _want_ to be followed considering his actions. That didn't matter however, when her curiosity peaked as Naruto's form seemed to almost waver as if the wind could blow him away. Schooling the myriad of questions in her mind down to a simplistic query Ino assaulted his first "What are you up to Naruto?"

It was difficult, but he managed to pin his illusion back into place. He could feel it almost fall away in the breeze. That would have been the last thing he needed right now, for his secret to be discovered by one of the loudest girls in his class. Mentally calming himself, Naruto began to retort. "Oh nothing much Ino, just trying to get home to work on… the homework Mizuki gave us today!" A characteristic mask of aloofness spread across his face and a hand to scratch the back of his head in a practiced manner would hopefully hide his turmoil.

Alas, Naruto just worked his way into more questions. "Mizuki-sensei didn't _give_ any homework today Naruto. What are you _really_ planning eh? Some new prank? Just spill it Naruto-baka!" Adding to her statement, Ino took a single fear inspiring step towards the now scared boy in front of her.

His shaky lie shattered to pieces, Naruto was barraged by Ino's questions but it was the last act that cause him to shiver and lose concentration. Ino was getting too close. The illusion would fail if he was touched. There wasn't _any_ way he could let that happen right now. Taking a few shaky steps backwards Naruto attempted to school his concentration back into place for the henge to remain in place. He was trying so hard that he felt a certain tell tale sign that his time was up

A pain was racing it's way across his limbs and nerves. It was the sign that he had practiced too much or used too much chakra. The problem with this warning sign was that it meant he was about to collapse. Pushing the semblance of aloofness onto his face to hide the absolute fear in his mind Naruto attempted to at least get Ino to leave him peacefully so he could _maybe_ get home safely. "Ah, I…Ino…" his voice was starting to shake and tremble under duress.

Unfortunately for Naruto, that was as far as his consciousness was able to take him. The last three days of exhaustion, hunger and stress was too much for the young child's body. It only took a pair of seconds for the event that would drastically alter the way Yamanaka Ino would view the world from that day forward. Naruto's eyes slowly rolled up into his head as he lost consciousness; his body no longer under willful control pitched forward towards Ino and lastly a poof of smoke encapsulated the pair of them as his henge fell apart.

Silence. Both around the pair and in Ino's mind, at this moment there was a blank silence. The din of the crowd was squashed by the shock in her mind. While there were at least twenty things Ino wanted to yell or scream at Naruto right now, none of it came to mind because of the bundle currently in her arms. Gears running in overdrive still couldn't process the information. For once in her life, Ino felt she had no idea how to approach the problem in her arms.

It was a scent that shook her from the reverie and back to the bundle in her arms. Beautiful and shocking red hair was splayed across her chest that gave off a rather calming scent of earth and trees. In her arms was a girl, a girl that was either playing the part of Naruto today or… always was Naruto.

After the two shocking seconds passed, Ino went to her knees to lower the body of the girl in her arms. Carefully, she turned its form around to get a better grasp of the situation. Maybe this was just someone playing a prank? Ino couldn't really remember anyone in her class with crimson hair like this. Upon finally viewing her face, Ino was quite shocked. It was definitely slimmer and the nose a bit more… dainty compared to the males original face but it was the similarity and not the differences that caught Ino. On each side of her face, the unconscious girl had the same striking birthmarks that Naruto had.

Not even realizing it, Ino had brought a hand up to brush against the whisker marks on the prone forms face. It was a light dip in his skin that was slightly more rough than the rest that made up the whiskers. The mere act of brushing against them felt… she couldn't place the feeling but it caused a definite reaction in Naruto's once blanch face… a smile. It was so small she almost missed the change. Pulling her hand away, Ino attempted to wake the girl currently in her arms several times to no avail. Slightly at a loss, Ino did the only thing she thought she could do in this situation. Take her home and ask her father for advice.

After all, it was obvious that Naruto… or whoever this was, could use a justu to make an illusion so it only made sense to ask a ninja for help. Grunting slightly under the added weight, Ino shouldered the dead weight and made her way to the Yamanaka flower shop and was silently glad they were so close to home. On the way, she received a few awkward stares. Of course, how often did you see one eight year old shouldering another unconscious eight year old and walk somewhere? However, the neighborhood wasn't exactly the safest of Konoha and no one offered to help.

A gentle jingle of bells brought Izumi out of a trance at the store's counter. It had been a slow day and she was starting to nod off at the desk. "Welcome to Yama… Ino? What happened?" Seeing the pair, Ino's mother quickly rushed over to help the two children.

"Ah, hi mom. This is my friend from school… Ruto." Ino quickly spat out a lie. Her mother was no ninja and probably couldn't diagnose the problem… or read the red-heads mind and find the truth. "We were working on chakra exercises in the park and she passed out. I brought her here to rest and let daddy make sure she is ok." At least this time it wasn't a total lie. "I'm going to take her upstairs to rest in my bed ok mom? Be back down in a bit."

Watching Ino climb the stairs with 'Ruto', Izumi let a smile grace her face. It wasn't Sakura but at least Ino had a friend to be there for her. With Ino's bossy and controlling attitude she seemed to push off most people. "_Oh, this will be perfect! I'll go get some desert to go with dinner tonight. I'll have to let that girl's parents know somehow that she is safe here._" Pleased with her plan, Izumi left the house to create a fabulous dinner to talk over. The gentle cantle of the bells rang out in the flower store as Izumi left, not forgetting to place the 'closed' sign up and locking the door.

=o=

Propped on the bed, Naruto had turned to her side and was currently sleeping soundly on the comfortable bed. Ino had to admit to herself that the girl in front of her was a complete mystery. Twice, the girl had mumbled out in her sleep, both times had shocked Ino. "Please stop hurting me." There was something going on beneath the surface here and Ino made a decision right then and there. On her pride as a Yamanaka, she would figure this enigma out without bringing her father into the equation. That isn't to say she wouldn't question her father but those would be questions about Naruto… herself? This would take a little bit to understand.

Shaken from her thoughts, a tussle of bells ran out from downstairs followed by a cliché yell of "Honey, I'm home!" With her mother out of the house doing something, this was the perfect opportunity to grill her father for information. She made her way downstairs in a rushed form to go and welcome him home with a hug. She had assembled her plan in the span of seconds while descending the stairs… hopefully it would work. Part one of the plan complete. "Hi Daddy!"

Inoichi let out a light chuckle at the welcoming. "Hi there princess, how was your day today?" "It was fine but some stuff happened in class and I have to ask you some questions for homework okay?" He was slightly puzzled by the response but pushed the nagging thoughts away. "Sure thing honey. What did you need to ask?"

Part two of the plan was now starting. "As part of learning information gathering, we were all given one person in class to learn about from others." The nodding of her fathers head let her know to continue. It was time to get some answers "The person that I drew a ballot to learn about was… Uzumaki Naruto." Ino was puzzled when her father stiffened at the mention of Naruto's name. She was not expecting that kind of visual cue. She had to alleviate it quickly. "Like who his parents are, likes and dislikes and where he lives. I figured I would start with you daddy, since you know everything!" Ino mentally grimaced and hoped this ploy would work.

Inoichi softened a little when she clarified what she needed to know. Taking a seat at the dinner table and patting a nearby chair as a signal he decided she could know this kind of information at least. It's not like he hated the child like the rest of the council did, he just heard all kinds of things from shop keepers about the way he treated their stores. "Well first of all… Naruto is an orphan. His parents both died the night he was born during a fight near the village." Inoichi began to rack his brain for likes and dislikes he had overheard.

Meanwhile, Ino felt a pang of pity for Naruto. "_No parents ever since he was born? I can't even imagine what that could be like…_" Cutting off his thinking time, Ino decided to clarify for better information. "Where does he live then? At an orphanage or with relatives?" Could the energenic blonde really have this kind of past? The same boy who would always greet happily and wear that shit eating grin all day long?

A flash of pain crossed Inoichi's face at the question. It wasn't that it was restricted information but more that the information was so negative. "He… lives alone princess. No relatives to take him in and he was never adopted." He watched a pained expression cross Ino's face showing him exactly how she felt on the information. "The only thing he likes as far as I know is Ramen at that Ichiraku Ramen place. Any other questions?" Thoughts of what really happened to the boy had left a foul taste in Inoichi's mouth. Beatings and insults were the least of the problems. The presence of the tenant was a whole other story all compounded by the shrewd civilian council. He needed a drink…

"Thanks for the information daddy!" With a quick hug, Ino turned around and sped upstairs. The revelation was… shocking wasn't a strong enough word. Was Naruto really hiding this kind of past? The blinding smile that happily bounded inside the classroom was a lonely orphan? What else was he hiding? Could it be that Naruto really was a girl and just hiding it? The questions were mounting to monstrous amounts before her hand grasped the knob to her room before she froze. It was clear as day to Ino, there were soft sobs coming from the bedroom in front of her.

Opening the door carefully, Ino approached the obviously pained form in front of her. Curled up into almost a ball, Naruto was crying in her sleep. The twitching she was doing every now and then was enough evidence for Ino. Naruto was having a nightmare. Moving without realizing it, Ino had sit down next to the floundering form on the bed and gentle began to stroke the soft crimson hair that was splayed over Naruto's head. Ino's mother had used this before on her to calm her down and it seemed to be a universal trick. The fidgeting and sobbing relented and her face took on a neutral expression.

The moment didn't last however, as seconds later, Naruto's eyes snapped open and locked straight into Ino's. Blue met blue for a split second before the prone form stiffened on the bed. Fear gripped her lithe frame as she righted herself into a sitting position and shuffled back away from Ino until she ran into the headboard. The reaction scared the both of them.

Naruto was afraid that someone knew her secret now. Ino was scared by the absolute fear in the eyes of the girl in front of her. There was so much more to Naruto than she could have ever thought it seemed. Something inside her tugged to console the shivering form of the girl cringing away from her at the moment. Perhaps she was just scared that she passed out in the alley? "Shh, it's okay. You're safe right now. When you collapsed I brought you home to rest. Are you okay?"

"_Okay? OKAY? Yeah I'm just dandy! Two days ago I changed from a boy to a girl when I attempted a justu I stole and then tried to hide that fact from everyone. Nnow I find out that you know my secret and I'm in your home._" "I think I'll be okay…" were the words that escaped her mouth while she schooled her well trained mask to exhibit a smile. "Sorry for troubling you like this Ino." What sent it home for Ino was the action Naruto just did. Smirking while scratching the back of her head, Naruto didn't realize she just did a nervous reaction that cemented a claim in Ino's mind.

"So… that really is you Naruto? What… I have so many questions right now." Naruto's mask wavered for a split second into a worried one but quickly fixed into the smile. "Eheh… that's an interesting story Ino you see…" Before Naruto could continue, Ino's inquisitive mind pushed cares about that to the side. "Naruto is it true that you are an orphan?"

The question caught her by complete surprise. No one ever cared before besides jiji and the pair at Ichiraku's. Three people in a village of thousands. Without even realizing it, she lowered her head and allowed the crimson tresses to hide her pained expression. Not trusting her new voice in this situation, Naruto merely nodded her head.

The physical response that Ino witnessed shocked her. Somewhere in her mind, there was a scream to stop asking these painful questions but that was smothered by her inquisitive side that wanted… _needed_ to know more. "And you live on your own? How do you do it?" Ino instantly hated herself after asking the question. It was obvious these hurt Naruto to think about. Asking these kinds of questions when she was in a sad state was only making it worse. Silence pervaded the room for a few seconds as neither girl moved or spoke.

When Naruto began to shiver, Ino moved again without realizing it. Performing an act so alien to Naruto she simply froze and didn't know what to do. Ino was hugging the crimson haired girl and muttering sorry over and over. The pair remained there, nearly unmoving, before Ino continued. "It must be hard for you Naruto. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for you. I've always had my parents so I can't even try to say I know how you feel but…" Ino was shocked when Naruto completed the hug and began to sob into her shoulder.

Naruto didn't know why really. Scared, past revealed… she felt almost naked without the mask of a smile and the lie of a past to hide behind. When Naruto drew her arms around Ino, there was some voice in the back of her mind that said to just let go. She just felt like she could right now for some reason. Walls breaking down, Naruto did something she before now only reserved for when she was hiding in the bed at home. She cried. She cried for a lot of things, her emotions and memories were a jumble but this felt… nice.

The sound of bells jingling pulled Ino from her stupor. "_Mom's home with dinner… I should make Naruto eat with us._" "That's gunna be mom getting home with some food. You hungry? Want some dinner Naruto?" Ino pulled back from the hug to look at the girls face for an answer.

Thought she shook her head, Naruto's stomach let out a vicious grumble to alert its hunger. A light blush crept onto her face at the embarrassment but Ino just let out a light giggle. Ino screwed her normal personality down to face her parents. "Stay right here Naruto I will be right back." Just as she was about to leave, Ino turned and looked Naruto straight in the eyes. "Don't you dare try to escape Naruto…" Turning to make a beeline downstairs, Ino left a shocked crimson haired girl sitting on the bed.

Truth being, Naruto _was _going to try and run away. In a strange home, with a strange girl and being offered food that would probably involve adults. She wasn't looking forward to the glares and hate from them but… Ino said to stay. Looking over to the windowsill, a small true smile crept onto Naruto's face. Sitting there in a window flower box were several flowers.

**A/N Mmmm this was an interesting chapter to type, leaving out the orientation words (aka him/her) while unsure of self and using them when he/she was sure; was interesting to type. P.S. thanks to those who left those kind reviews in the short time the teaser chapter was up and sorry I didn't get this real 1****st**** chapter up sooner.**


	3. 2: Adjusting and Learning

**A/N: Until they reach the age of maturity (and kage bunshin) the personal pronouns (him/her) will relate to current state of body.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

Between the door to her room and the bottom of the stairs, Ino could not one decent thought on what to do. She had just literally held Naruto while she broke down and cried. Ino could not even remember the former blonde ever doing _anything_ besides smiling and being happy. Was that the depth of the mask he could wear along every damn day? Living alone, no family and barely any friends would have been… no _is_ a kind of hell to live through and it was one that it seems Naruto lived in.

Ino had done some light reading on psyche masks, after all her family dealt with the workings of the mind as far as their family jutsu was concerned. It was during a simple conversation with her father that the man had pointed out how sometimes a ninja would have to take a second identity to be able to mix in with a foreign nation. Sometimes it was used to move while hidden but most of the time it was to hide yourself from enemies.

"_Until today, Naruto always wore that mask to hide himself… does he view the village as a place he needs to hide in? Worse… does he view us as enemies?_" Ino shook her head of the thoughts as she reached the last step of the stairs. He might be an orphan but there is no way he could view the people as an enemy… right? He was just hiding himself away from others to hide his pain of being basically alone. While she might have wanted to explore this idea further, her mother brought her out of the mental stupor.

"Ah Ino! I just got back with dinner for us tonight. Is your friend Ruto still here?" A vigorous nod was the response. "Good, good. Your father is out back tending to the garden so go ahead and help me set the table before letting her know that dinner is ready for you guys." Izumi stated while moving to place a teakettle on the stove to make some of her own mother's recipe of herbal tea.

In the process of helping her mother, Ino lost the rather morbid train of thought she was carrying just moments ago. The answers to such details would have to wait till she could get to know the new Naruto better. Finishing her work just in time, Ino heard the signs of Inoichi re-entering the house and made a dash to avoid his questions of a dinner guest before it was too late.

Climbing the stairs two at a time, Ino was in a rush to introduce 'Ruto' to her parents. She definitely needed to see some kind of parental contact. It should be good to feel what a family was like… unless it made Naruto miss having one even more. Ino let out an exasperated sigh, all this thinking and negativity was heavy for her eight year old mind. Drawing close to her room, Ino's fingers almost grasped the handle before she stopped dead. Naruto was inside the room _talking_ to someone…

=o=

To say she was shocked would be an understatement. Naruto was puzzled, confused, scared and stunned all together by what had just happened. Not in all eight years of her life had Naruto _ever_ cried in front of someone. Not Teuchi, not Ayame and definitely not the old man. When she was… still a boy… Naruto always kept up that fox-grin smile and bled out energy and happiness to those around him.

She knew from the time spent in the orphanage that the way you act affects others rather easily in some cases. From the children who would be sad or melancholy, Naruto saw the adults feel a semblance of the pain. They empathized with the child and would try to soothe them. Not in her case though, the caretakers would never interact with or assuage the boy's problems back then. So Naruto just simply 'manned' up and stopped showing his sadness to anyone. If she always wore a smile, the hokage would always smile back when he visited. If she smiled with the Ichiraku Ramen pair, they would be happy and smile back.

To an outsider the policy would seem… cruel. For a child to hide their emotions and just wear a mask to please those around them is ludicrous but this was different for Naruto. Not able to create her own happiness it was at least better to create it in others. Surrogate joy. No one until today had ever seen underneath Naruto's underneath and she was scared what would happen. The first thought was to simply run away and hope the problem would disappear. Maybe Ino would forget the little outburst and not mention anything about it?

Unconsciously during the internal monologue, Naruto had made her way over to the flower box and was silently admiring the blossoming flowers. Unlike the plants she kept at home that were a collection of tossed out plants that didn't flower, this box was practically filled with life. Red and orange lilies framed the edges of the box, all surrounding striking purple violets. As if to welcome her, the flowers seemed to arch over to point her direction.

Negative thoughts abolished, Naruto inhaled the scent of the flowers deeply. It was a relaxing scent that washed over her senses. Kneeling down to get a closer view, Naruto began to speak to the brilliant flora. "Looks like someone is taking very good care of you guys. I keep some plants at home but none of them are as beautiful as you. It would be nice to have a few to grow at home… but I know no one would allow me to grow something so nice in a window. You guys are lucky you know? Ino-chan seems very nice and takes good care of you…"

"Oops…" a somber look clouded Naruto's normally brilliant cerulean orbs. "Don't tell Ino I called her that… she hates when I add a chan and act like her friend. Don't look at me like that guys, she told me herself two weeks into school." If it was anyone else, they would probably feel silly chatting it up with some colorful flowers but Naruto was anything but normal. Banishing the hurt at the memories, she continued to talk with the vibrant plants. "Hey, hey. Can you guys tell me how to say thank you to Ino for today so she doesn't hit me? I'm not really good at talking…" The loud jarring sound of the door slamming open shook her from the conversation to see Ino standing in the doorway looking very sad.

=o=

"…beautiful as you." Ino stood right behind the door rapt at attention, she was eavesdropping, yes, but also wanted to know more. "It would be nice to have a few to grow at home… but I know no one would allow me to grow something so nice in a window." "_So Naruto grows plants too?_" It seemed at every turn Ino was learning something new of the red enigma that was Naruto. "You guys are lucky you know? Ino-chan seems very nice and takes good care of you… Oops, Don't tell Ino I called her that… she hates when I add a chan and act like her friend…"

Ino bit her lip at that comment, the action in question she had forgotten about until now. Did she really say something so mean? The answer was yes but it was for the wrong reasons. She was getting annoyed with how chummy Naruto had been action with her and Sakura. The silly blonde would _always_ greet them in the morning and pester them all the way to class. When he started to butt heads with Sasuke, she made the decision. She really wanted to impress Sasuke but having that nagging Naruto was getting infuriating.

Looking back, it was a really, really stupid choice but she would pay for that choice… and if she could, fix it. After all, thinking of how Naruto seemed to approach problems, it was no wonder they were simply hidden beneath the mask that was always there. "Hey, hey. Can you guys tell me how to say thank you to Ino for today so she doesn't hit me? I'm not really good at talking…" Ino had heard enough, she roughly pushed her door open with a thud that got the chatting florists attention. Not even wasting a second, Ino crossed the room and enveloped Naruto in a hug and muttered out "Sorry" several times.

"What's wrong Ino? What did I do?" Naruto was completely confused by the blonde's actions currently and so far today. "Ino-chan… you can call me Ino-chan." Slightly muffled, she was talking into Naruto's shoulder. "Do you want to be my friend Naruto?" Utter shock stiffened Naruto in Ino's grasp. It was one thing to finally have contact with a person that wasn't meant to harm but it always was a dream of his to have someone ask to be her friend not the other way around. Unable to do anything involving speech, she merely nodded her head and not realizing the blush that tinged her cheeks.

Pulling away, Ino righted herself and took a second to breathe. Getting that out of her system made her feel extremely good about herself to be able to fix something she now saw as a problem. Once again donning her own personal dominating mask she began to order Naruto around. "Shape up Naruto, you're having dinner here tonight so let's get you cleaned up a little." Dumbstruck, Naruto stared incredulously at Ino for a second before whispering out "why…"

A wry grin spread across Ino's face for her choice of response. "Simple Naruto, I can only guess you want to hide this little _s e c r e t_ between us right?" A vigorous nod confirmed her thoughts. "So, step one, we get rid of that orange and second I hide those whiskers of yours."

Now normally, Naruto would have rebuked about disparaging the color orange vehemently… but today it _did_ seem a logical choice. The orange jumpsuit was a sort of special quirk for the _boy_ that always made him stand out. Forgetting the fact it was all she could actually buy as far as clothes went… she would need different clothes to go for the new… look. "Ok Ino, I trust you to help me out." The smile that accompanied his response was not the usual masked one she wore but a gentle and real smile. A voice deep in the recessed of Naruto's mind cried out that Ino could be trying to trick her but… she ignored it, truly wanting this first real friend.

Ino's mind sputtered for a second at the raw trust that Naruto was seemingly giving her. She steeled her thoughts quickly however, dinner was to be ready soon and she had to find some clothes to fit Naruto. Thankfully it seemed the two roughly shared the same build and height. Guessing right, Ino was able to fish out a simple pair of purple sweat pants and a plain white tee shirt. "Here, take these and change out. After that I can cover up your whiskers with some of my moms makeup."

Fidgeting in place for a couple seconds, she looked up at Ino with a blush. "Uhm… right in front of you?" Ino's face lit up in a pink hue before muttering out a sorry and leaving the room, deciding to go get some makeup to cover the tell tale whisker marks. Back in the room, Naruto having successfully changed clothes, was staring at herself in the body length mirror in the room. Ino was right, she mused, take out the facial birth marks and you could not even distinguish that this was Naruto anymore. A part of Naruto wondered how long this condition would last and if it would even wear off.

Another, slightly darker portion of her mind, mused that this could be an answer to the problems. The villagers and shop keepers were rude and hateful to Uzumaki Naruto… How would they treat this entirely alien person? For some reason, a clear sounding indifferent attitude was the assumption. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all? Sure it would be weird and really awkward to live like a girl from now on but if it meant she could escape from that hateful glare she received just walking down the street could she give up life as Naruto…?

"No way" Naruto muttered out her answer to the form in the mirror. She was not going to abandon part of her life to get a little reprieve in life. Naruto's dream was to be the hokage after all! Remembering old Sarutobi's rants on what the hokage stood for and the kind of pressure they dealt with every day… If she couldn't take some simple glares from random people how could Naruto expect to lead the entire village? This would just have to be another burden to bear… though before Naruto could ponder the fact that Ino shared the knowledge of this, said blonde burst through the door.

"Sheesh! I've been knocking for a few minutes now Naruto. Don't tell me you were checking yourself out in the mirror this _whole_ time? Now c'mere and sit on the bed so I can apply this." Berating Naruto as she went to sit on the bed, Ino patted the spot right next to her. Ashamed, she calmly went and sat down next to Ino and faced her but blurted out "I was just thinking whether or not the old Naruto is… gone."

Naruto mentally slapped herself; she was never this open with her real thoughts before. What was it about Ino that made her so… open? Years of building a tolerance and building an emotional mask crumbled in the 20 minutes spent awake in the Yamanaka household. Maybe it was a jutsu…? No, Naruto wouldn't let herself think that, it had to be the unconscious trust now placed in the starry eyed blonde now applying makeup.

While Naruto was mentally berating herself, Ino carefully applied a light cover of skin tone over the two triple sets of birthmarks. During which she mulled over the last line Naruto spoke of whether or not the 'old' Naruto is no more. She almost lost her train of thought and the attempt at makeup when the girl receiving the ministrations began to giggle.

"Sorry, it's kind of tickles when you do that." Apologizing with a natural smile and a light blush, Naruto rubbed the back of her head showing Ino that the old mannerism was still there. Shaking her head, Ino finished up and decided to let Naruto know what she felt. "I don't think the old Naruto will disappear, instead you will just add another facet to what makes you, you." Satisfied with her response, Ino then grabbed the other girls hand and started to roughly pull her downstairs. "Now come on, mom and dad have been waiting forever for us to come downstairs for dinner."

To put it bluntly, Naruto was scared shitless. Of the hundreds of adults she _ever_ met only three were nice. Around the time she was thinking of what the chances were, Naruto had to mentally slap herself. They would not see Naruto, the blonde haired, blue eyed and energetic little bundle that people usually disliked. They would be seeing the shy, blue eyed and crimson haired girl that she was currently. "_This kind of thinking is going to be exhausting… I can already tell._"

Rounding the bottom of the stairs and entering the dining room, Ino loudly announced their presence. "Behold! The princesses have arrived for dinner!" Stifling a small titter, Izumi greeted Ruto. "Ah, awake I see. Are you feeling better now Ruto?" Her warm smile offset the absolute look of shock on Inoichi's face as he took in Ruto's guise. The clang of metal on glass as he dropped the fork he was holding brought the attention to him and the only word to escape his mouth was a low whisper that only Izumi next to him could hear. "Kushina?"

**A/N: Markedly shorter than last chapter, but it felt like a nice spot to stop. The fact I'm leaving for work right after posting this has **_**nothing**_** to do with it… (shifty eyes)**


	4. 3: Dinner with the Yamanaka's

_**Cargas**_** – I kinda hope I can continue this story to saga length. However, I need to point out that the henge (at least according to naruwiki) uses the three hand signs. Think of the two before tiger as 'training wheels' in a learning process, that's how I look at it.**

**Several people have asked that I reveal **_**now**_** what remains to be seen later (sex change permanent?) in the story. Sorry to disappoint but I'm not one to let out such a big plot secret. Going to just have to read and find out! For all the kind comments I give out a large heartfelt thank you.**

**ありがとうございます。**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Everyone in the room reacted a little bit differently to the shock from Inoichi. Ino was completely puzzled by the response from her own father. Dropping his fork and muttering something under his breathe? "_What did he say? Can he tell it is Naruto somehow?_" Ino was sharing an enormous burden in the form of a secret and it kind of felt nice to have some form of connection to someone. A friend out of desperation but a friend none-the-less. Unconsciously, she tightened the grip she had on Naruto's hand and she returned the action.

Beside her, Naruto was seriously contemplating running away that very instant. The shocked look on the blonde haired mans face was one she had seen before on people when they noticed her in their store, right before they threw her out roughly. Panic started to setting at the base of Naruto's stomach followed by a sour taste in her mouth. "_Adults really are no different…_" The shocked man was staring down at her, boring down with those aqua eyes of his, it made Naruto want to just run away and hide at home but something stopped her short when Ino tightened her hold on the hand they shared. Bolstered by the reminder of her friend, Naruto returned the grip as a sign up trust.

Inoichi was struck speechless by the form of a girl in front of him. Except for the striking cerulean colored eyes and a slightly slimmer face it was a complete clone of Kushina when she was at the academy age. Kushina was always able to stand out in class and left an imprint on everyone she met, after all, she wasn't named the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero for nothing. There was a striking resemblance yes, but the demeanor seemed different now. He could see something in those eyes… fear? Awkward, Kushina was always loud and outgoing… this must have just been coincidence. Opening his mouth to apologize, Inoichi only got a single syllable out. "Sorr…" before being smacked in the back of his head by Izumi.

Izumi was glad that Ino's friend was okay. Initially she worried, she may have been a civilian originally but Izumi knew what chakra exhaustion was. To be awake so quick was a good sign that it didn't get that far. She _was_ shocked however at her husband's incredulous response on seeing the girl. She never got a chance to see before, but the girl had the most beautiful shining blue eyes… eyes that reminded her of both Inoichi and Ino. "_Kushina? He's going to have some talking to do later…_" Turning to look at the dumbstruck blonde Izumi acted and slapped him upside the head. "Don't scare the poor thing like that. She's had a rough day of training. Isn't that right dears?" she said while leveling her gaze kindly at the pair moving up to the table.

Ino could feel the tension bleeding off of Naruto beside her and took the initiative. Walking towards the table and lugging the red-head behind her, Ino offered a smile to her parents while Izumi apologized for her fathers awkward actions. "Ruto here was practicing ahead of the class to learn… chakra control but pushed a little too hard and got tired." Naruto beside her looked down to hide her face, a blush spreading on her cheeks from Ino's quote. "_And now she even lies to her parents for me…_"

The dangling straight red hair obscuring her eyes and face shook Inoichi from the slight stupor he was in. Mentally, he scolded himself; this was not Kushina and there was no way that they could be related. Rubbing the side of his head, Inoichi flashed the kids a smile. Deciding to take a fatherly tone, he began to kindly scold Ruto's training "Ah, take care with those kinds of exercises. Those are usually only started in your third year due to the small reserves you have. It's very dangerous to drive yourselves into exhaustion at this age; it could potentially ruin your career as a ninja."

Naruto barely heard what Inoichi was saying, her thoughts were currently cascading with a multitude of thoughts. Some were of how nice it was to finally meet some adults like Teuchi and Ayame. Others were of how nice Ino was being recently and how nice it was to have a friend. A quiet, darker part however, whispered of how this was all just a trick. It spoke of how this could all be another way to torture her, planned out by the same villagers that always torment Naruto.

It was hard to squash out that dark little voice that whispered of evil little plans but Naruto refused to believe it. At least this one, the way that Ino had been treating her was like a dream compared to the normal squalor of emotions that Naruto had lived with day in and day out so far. Again the murky negative voice piped up, it spoke of the beatings, the insults and poisonings. The voice urged and begged to never trust, if Naruto kept separate from everyone then she could stay safe. The voice screamed that this was a mistake to trust these people… but she steeled her determination.

Dinner passed by unnoticed by the stoic and silent red head. Questions were asked and Naruto would answer with a simple nod or shake of the head, too caught up in her own reverie to give a detailed explanation. The questions varied from "how do you like the academy?" to "if your parents are okay with you staying the night?" Unwittingly, Naruto had agreed to the last one without realizing it. Right before Izumi started to serve the desert she had planned, Naruto finally finished her internal monologue. Hoping beyond hope, she would place her trust in Ino and her family. It was a dangerous idea mentally, doubling the number of trusted friends in a single night.

When she finally refocused her vision and attention to the table in front of her, Naruto saw three small pink puffs sitting on the plate before her. The Yamanaka's were watching intently, waiting for her to take the first bite. "Go on dear, try it, they don't bite." Izumi cooed to her. "This ruins my diet but… mocchi is my favorite dessert. I'm sure you'll love it!" Ino prattled beside her. One word passed through Naruto's mind, the bitter whisperings of _poison_ floated from the dark recesses of her heart. Having been poisoned by gifts of food before, Naruto was apprehensive towards this treat.

Naruto reached out slowly to grasp one of the pink balls from the plate to examine it. Powder flaked the outer coating and it seemed to have a jelly inside that made it pliable. Eyes scanning the table, Naruto took note of the expecting looks from the adults and there was a bitter feeling that rose from the pit of her stomach. However, it was the look from Ino that cinched the deal. Her pure blue eyes were looking into Naruto's own with a stunning intensity; it was as if she was assuring Naruto with a message passed through those blue orbs. _"It's safe, trust me._"

Plunging to the risk, Naruto took a large bite from the flaky pastry. Chewing and savoring the flavor, she swallowed the bite and looked on at the family with wide eyes. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed before gorging herself on the rest. Unbeknownst to the family that smiled while eating with her, Naruto was in a world of joy they could not possibly fathom. It had always been a dream to eat a dinner at a table… with a family. Even if this was a lie, even if this was a trick… this was worth it all.

After dinner, Naruto found herself being dragged upstairs by the hand again while muttering thanks demurely for the dinner. Inoichi had already retreated to the kitchen to clean the mess created so Izumi was left who gave a happy smile for the child. "Think nothing of it Ruto; it's nice to see Ino with a friend. You are welcome here anytime." Izumi's smile was blinding to Naruto, who silently prayed that this wasn't some dream to wake up from.

A quick jog upstairs left the two kids standing in the silence of Ino's purple laden bedroom. Finally taking the chance to admire, Naruto glanced around the room at the blonde girls' choice of quarters. There on the windowsill were the beautiful flowers that she had been speaking to earlier, just beside them sat a few books and a watering tin. The books pages all looked to be well read from the state of their spines and the curled edges. Continuing around the room, next came the large and undeniably _soft_ bed that she had woken up in. The girl was in love with the color purple it seemed. Comforter, sheets, pillow casing… all a slight variation on the violet hue.

Just passed the bed was a closet which no doubt housed a variety of purple sets of clothing. Silently musing to herself, after all she had loved orange just as much, she just lacked the funds to get items in the color. The visual expedition ended on a dresser near the door. Propped up on it were a variety of pictures that told a story. There was Ino, held in her mother's arms, while both parents posed for the picture. Next came a picture of Ino while she was dancing, probably during a birthday of some sort. The last one that stood out amongst the bunch of items decorating the wooden furnishing was a simple picture of Ino with Shikamaru and Chouji. Caught in a hug around their necks by Ino, both boys shared different looks, Chouji's smile was wide and happy while Shikamaru merely let out a scowl.

Ino took the plunge and break the silence while she watched Naruto admire her room. However, Naruto didn't even hear her at first, too caught up in mentally comparing the life the two had lived. Repeating the question, Ino noticed that her guests normally shining blue eyes had somewhat glazed over and she could see the moisture pooling in the orbs. Chancing a touch, Ino reached out while calling out Naruto's name. She wasn't expecting the reaction she got upon making contact with the girls hand.

Turning to look at Ino, who saw the tears now flowing down the puffed out cheeks, barely contained her surprise when Naruto glomped her. Caught by surprise and having no idea what to do, Ino merely completed the hug and slowly patted the sobbing girls back. It still amazed her that this was Naruto, the bundle of sunshine, happiness and giggles from school was so… sobering, like this. Ears finally starting to work properly, Ino could make out the muffled noises coming from the girl in her arms. It was two words repeating over and over. "Thank you"

"It was only dinner Naruto, you don't have to thank me so much alright? Now then, let's talk about…" Ino started but was interrupted by Naruto who shook her a little while pulling away to share blue gazes with the girl. "No Ino, it wasn't just dinner. Not to me at least. You probably can't understand but the way you and your family today treated me today was…" Naruto was still staring at Ino. Cerulean eyes gazing into sky blues as she pondered the next word. "amazing. That was the first time I've ever been in a family dinner or have someone be so nice to me. Especially with the secret you are holding for me." The last part barely came out as a whisper but Ino heard it clear as day.

It still confused Naruto to no end at how calm and relaxed she felt in this house, the barriers and masks she had spent years creating fell to pieces in this room. Speaking so openly, crying and talking of these topics were taboo in front of even the old man. Finishing her tirade, Naruto slowly let go of Ino to finish "You asking to be my friend today Ino, made this the best day I've ever had…" Ino was stunned. Was it possible that Sakura looked at their friendship this way? Doubtful, Naruto seemed to be so much deeper than the cheery and loud kid everyone else saw… what else was hidden? "Well, now that you got that out of your system, let's get my spare futon out. No sense in sleeping on my floor."

Naruto stared at Ino quizzically. "What do you mean sleeping on your floor Ino?"

Ino blinked a few times at the question. "You don't remember? During dinner, my parents asked if you wanted to stay the night since it was so late already and you agreed." Answering the question while her back was turned, Ino rummaged through her closet till finding her target. With a pomf and a grunt of success, Ino had laid the temporary bedding out next to hers, complete with a violet sheet and pillow.

Speaking before thinking, Naruto spoke her mind. "You really do love purple don't you?"

Not even looking before responding Ino gave her response. "You really do love orange don't you?"

Stifling a small giggle, the red head responded. "Touché."

Being as it was already late, Ino left the room to change into a pair of pajama's after giving Naruto a pair to use despite her reluctance to wear more of Ino's clothes. The material was silk and felt so nice against her skin, silently Naruto thought about buying some like this but squashed the thought remembering exactly what the shop keepers treated the child like. The door to the room opened and closed quietly and Ino approached Naruto who was already laying down on the futon.

The only light in the room currently was that of the moon shining down from the window. Standing in the pale light with her hair down, Ino seemed to gain an unearthly glow about her and from a prone position laying on the futon Naruto absentmindedly muttered out her thoughts. "Your hair is really pretty when it's down Ino…" A light blush dusted Ino's cheeks but when she turned to berate her current roommate, all she saw was a sleeping crimson haired girl. Crawling into her own bedding and snuggling in, Ino muttered out a simple phrase before drifting to sleep. "Good night, Naruto-kun"

=o=

Naruto felt her consciousness return to her slowly, like a fog receding from her senses. Lying down in bed, the first thought that came to mind was a sad one. "_Was what happened yesterday all a dream?_" Eyes still closed, her mind raced thinking over every little detail and mused how unbelievable it all was. Secret accepted, friends, dinner with a family? Before all that happiness, Naruto remembered that she passed out in that alley in front of Ino… was it all just a dream? Fear tugged on Naruto's mind, unwilling to open her eyes for the absolute possible horror that she could wake to. In the hustle and bustle of the negative thoughts, one thing cleared her mind of the inhibition to see.

That item was the flushed feeling of fresh air wash over her face, it was laced with the sweet scent of lilies and violets that tickled her senses. Naruto didn't have any flowers at home and there certainly weren't any in any alleys which meant only one thing. Last night _had_ happened. Rolling over in the sheets, she finally cracked open her eyes to the soft morning light glancing off the windowsill. There was the present sound of a shower running in the background and the smell of something cooking assaulted her as well.

Taking her time, Naruto changed back into her normal orange attire and carefully folded the borrowed pajamas on the bed. A quick henge later, and it seemed like she was wearing the same outfit borrowed from Ino yesterday, complete with missing scars. Descending the stairs, Naruto was affronted with the delicious scents of a cooking breakfast. Izumi greeted her brightly and calmly informed her that Inoichi had left earlier that morning for a clan meeting which left the three of them to enjoy breakfast as it was.

Departing the house was the pair of kids, one blonde and smiling and the other a grinning red head. Before leaving, Izumi had swept Naruto up into a hug and stated how she could come over and visit any time. A few blocks down the road, Naruto took a quick turn into an alley. Consequently, the same alley they had met in yesterday, before turning to Ino and giving a deep bow to her. "Thank you again for the hospitality and friendship Ino-chan." Without even giving the girl a chance to respond, Naruto used the henge to take on his usual boyish form before starting to bound away while calling out "See ya later Ino~"

Things were looking up for Naruto, despite the fact that he had accidentally changed his own gender via a jutsu, he was still happy he got to experience what a family was like and who knew… maybe he could make some more friends? If only Naruto knew that he would see a little bit more of bad luck before being blessed with built up good fortune.

**A/N: Dear readers, the reason this particular chapter took a bit longer was mostly due to the overload of possible ideas that came to me while I attempted to type this chapter. Academy, graduation, wave, blah blah blah… all kinds of ideas wouldn't let me sit down and seriously type this chapter for a few days. As a side note, I revamped the teaser chapter a little bit thanks to a friend, ****RequiemofGods.**** He essentially 'beta'd' it for me.**

**p.s. MSword needs to recognize glomped as a word without me telling it to.**


	5. 4: Time and Observation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

A/N: Well, I really have no excuse for taking this long to post an update. My amazing procrastination has had 3/4 of this chapter done for nearly a year now before finally getting my lazy ass working on it again. I make no promises on the next update, but it won't be a year in development unless I see something shiny. It's not much of an excuse, but I have probably rewritten this chapter about 5 times over from not liking my own wording.

=o=

Life quickly settled back down to what everyone else felt was the normal way of things. The very next day after the Ino event, Naruto burst into the classroom in his normal extravagant fashion. Chatting loudly with the back row, making jokes about teachers and students… It seemed like the funk that Naruto was in just yesterday was gone and no one really outwardly noticed or cared. Of course there were those that did care a little on the inside.

Remaining inconspicuous, Ino smiled at Naruto being up to his old antics. His moping about in the back just wasn't what his image was. Whatever happened over dinner last night definitely brought back his warmth, light and cheer. Eyes scanning the classroom, she was able to see that no one even noticed his apparently awkward behavior to call it out. Inwardly, she was proud of herself as a person and a ninja for noticing and helping Naruto. After all, being a social person she counted herself as observant of all that happens to those in her class.

Near the back, Hinata was grateful to see the usual Naruto back into action. Yesterday, she had _almost_ trailed after the blonde boy to ask him what was wrong but was intercepted by her cousin, Neiji, to escort her home. She was very happy to see his proud and boisterous self back, after all, if Naruto couldn't keep his confidence up, how could she? The last two inquisitive minds of the students were none other than Kiba and Shino. Despite his returned disposition, his scent was still different from what they were used to. One shrugged it off while the other filed the information away for later.

Class lulled forward as it always tended to do. Iruka would give lectures on the days' topic, yell at Shikamaru for sleeping and on occasion toss out a quiz. For everyone in the class, time ticked forward agonizingly, seconds into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days and days into weeks. Over the span of 5 weeks, Naruto never had another bout of in class depression. It was the same sunny, loud and happy Naruto that everyone knew and… mostly tolerated.

The key shining difference that not many noticed is that it was almost like Naruto developed an aversion to physical contact. While he was never a touchy feely person beforehand, he would now bob and weave to not allow people to touch him while running around. He would now dodge and run away from the aggressive hits of one Haruno Sakura after a failed date attempt rather than take the blow.

Oh he would still make the boisterous comments on either a classmate's beauty or some slight on Sasuke's behalf but instead of taking the hit and complaining he would laugh and lead a chase. Everyone thought it was just Naruto not wanting to be hit for his comments. One person knew the truth; however, Ino watched the subtle change in Naruto's actions and was rightly the only person who knew _why_ he avoided contact with anyone and everyone. The major downfall of the simple Henge Jutsu was that another person's chakra network interacting with the illusion would make it collapse.

There really wasn't any contact between the two blonde friends since that fateful night aside from a seldom locking of eyes. After all, they had never really spoken before and if they were to suddenly start conversing with no reason it would stand out. Especially to the other members of the Sasuke fan club, who had dubbed Naruto an enemy due to the way he often pranked the onyx eyed boy.

Ino's whole view of the blonde ball of energy had been completely shattered and rebuilt since that one dinner. It was a shock really; more of a shock that Ino never noticed the way Naruto was treated than actually seeing how he was rejected by the students and teachers. During class, she noticed that Naruto never attempted to talk to anyone outside his little 'circle' that consisted of Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji. The former was a fellow trouble maker and prankster while the latter two simply enjoyed a good laugh. People would brusquely try to push past him in the halls, teachers seemed to avoid ever looking straight into his eyes and Naruto was often ignored by teachers anytime he didn't understand something in class.

It actually hurt to watch the boy ostracized. Whether it was sitting under a tree during lunch by himself or taking his usual place after school in that swing set to watch parents come and retrieve their children. While there were no words she could hear, the worst were the dirty looks from the parents of children she didn't know. He was alone in this huge village and it seemed almost everyone was against him. Ino was sure of two things: The first being that under the same pressure, she would have definitely snapped. The other was that she had to find a way to be friends publicly with Naruto and brighten his day… she _had_ to.

She wanted to start up her friendship with the blue eyed enigma, she really did. The problem was finding some way to cause an interaction between the two that went beyond his quick good morning that was a morning ritual. She needed some trigger or ploy to start talking and kick off an actual friendship. While it wasn't exactly what she wanted, Ino would soon be spending a lot of time with one Uzumaki Naruto.

=o=

It was very late at night and the clouds marring the sky hid nearly all of the twinkling stars and fettered most of the waning moon light. Smothered in the inky blackness of night, Naruto carefully made his way home after an extended bout of self training. He was still following the details of the third year curriculum; after all, just because there was a small hiccup with the henge meant he shouldn't stop learning right? Listed as an 'out of school self project' was the training he had started a week ago. Naruto was doing various forms of exercises varying from jogging to sit ups, crunches and other maneuvers that were supposed to make a stronger ninja. Naruto was sold at the last pair of words that it would be worth the effort.

In true Naruto style, he had worked himself to exhaustion. Sore muscles and a screaming stomach told him it was time to head home, eat something and then sleep in the next day. Today was also sort of a day of celebration, the last day of school since it was time for winter break for a month. No more school meant less interaction with people he would rather avoid. Teachers, parents, villagers and the students that didn't like him were all on that list.

There was one person Naruto would miss seeing, Ino. Even though it had been over a month, he could still clearly remember every detail of that eventful night. Remembering what was said and the reactions of Ino's parents made it seem almost like a dream… It had given him the strength to persevere through the new trial he faced. Not that he really faced it yet anyways. The only time his henge would ever fall was when Naruto went to sleep. Constant use over the weeks had quickly lengthened how long he could hold the illusion.

He could deal with it, though he entertained thoughts of just happening to pass by their flower shop to maybe see her tending the shop. Personal ramblings were cut short however, as Naruto arrived at the base of the apartment complex he lived in. Five flights of stairs later left him lightly panting from the extra exertion while fiddling with the door lock.

Swinging the door open lazily and closing it with a slam, Naruto dragged his weary body into the bleak and empty house. Dirty ramen cups littered the war zone of a floor that was speckled with grime and the occasional article of clothing. There was a tingling feeling in the back of his mind that something was off but he was unable to distinguish _why_ it was there. Shrugging it off as hunger pains, he made his way to the cramped kitchen to heat up a late night ramen snack. It didn't strike him as out of place even though he never locked his door except for when he was home.

Unfortunately, it seemed fate didn't condone ramen tonight for his stove refused to light up. The inner workings of the stove were still a mystery to the child, but all he knew was that the burners just wouldn't light up to boil his simple dinner. Erring on the side of ignorance, he chose to just leave it and go take a shower to clean off the grime, dirt and sweat from the days exercise.

=o=

Meanwhile, a few blocks away from Naruto's humble abode, a person laid waiting and watching the house. It shouldn't be long now before it happened and the thing she had been forced to watch grow would be gone. It would be so glorious and ironic that ramen would be the thing to kill off Naruto…

Nearly the same distance away but the opposite direction was the home of one Yamanaka Ino. Said girl was preparing for bed when she felt a chill run down her spine. The awkward feeling caused her to delay lying down to bed for just a little longer…

=o=

Clean, fresh and clad in a towel, Naruto made his way back into the kitchen to wrestle with the burners again. Just seconds after making a pair of attempts at lighting the burner Naruto was hit with inspiration! Normally when he would turn the dials there would be a click sound. The sound of the igniter sparking the gas… there was no click therefore it wasn't sparking.

Well, that was easy to fix. Just moments away from scraping an old kunai across the burner Naruto stopped himself. Realizing the very stupid maneuver he was about to do, Naruto backed up to the window. After all, the gas had been on for a while now and there would probably be a small gout of fire that would not be fun to be in.

Blissfully unaware of the danger about to explode, Naruto cocked his arm back and threw the bladed piece of iron right at the corrugated metal of the stove. Flinching, he turned around quickly to avoid the small burst of light that was sure to come…

Had Naruto been living in cleaner arrangements he would have been easily able to identify the smell of natural gas permeating his house, instead he just assumed it WAS some rotten eggs somewhere in the apartment. Someone earlier that day had (easily) walked right into his little abode and split open the gas pipe behind the oven, thus preparing a deadly trap for someone unaware. Ironically, it was just a few nights before that the flint in the igniter had finally failed and temporarily saved Naruto's life.

Back turned, Naruto missed seeing the spark ignite not a small gout of flame but a quickly growing inferno that nearly instantly consumed the kitchen area and just beyond in the blink of an eye. He did however see the room painted in a red glow just milliseconds before feeling a searing heat lick across his exposed back.

The scant distance of 13 and a half feet left a buffer for the concussive force to throw his light body through the window before heat and flame could cause any extreme damage to him. However, abseiling across the night sky Naruto could not register much beyond blind panic until he was gracefully stopped by a soft cushion of dirt, rock and tree. The impact left Naruto seemingly unconscious.

It was almost picturesque with how her body now lay reclined against the tree, bathed in the crimson light from the burning building nearby. Sometime between sparking the explosion and crashing against the ground Naruto's grip over the ever present illusion had faltered, leaving the barely decent form of a girl with red shoulder-length hair seemingly reclining against a tree in a towel. It was this scene that Ino stumbled upon when she chose to investigate the sound that reverberated through her part of the village.

=o=

Ino was able to immediately recognize the lightly burned form that lay against the tree. Dropping to her knees amidst a few scattered pieces of burning refuse around them she called out to the body that was slightly sagging to the side. Receiving no response, the panic that was already gripping her mind escalated while Ino's mind kicked in to logically assess the situation in order.

The loud boom coupled with the fire currently raging in a nearby apartment complex; an explosion.

The small trough in the ground that lined up with the body, wisps of smoke still coming from her back and hair, laying against the tree; Thrown by said explosion. Lack of response from verbal questions; Naruto is unconscious. Addendum, her chest is not rising and falling, she isn't breathing…

=o=

Halfway between the world of pain (consciousness) and bliss (unconsciousness), Naruto was only somewhat aware of what was happening inside her body and outside it. Between being caught off guard by the explosion, thrown through glass and impacting against a tree, she was acutely aware of how much it hurt to feel an explosion. Though mostly numb of the situation, Naruto could faintly tell there was a presence nearby… something almost familiar. She would have responded if able but found the ability to give a verbal reply painfully lacking…

If only she could **breathe**! It felt like someone had crushed her chest under rocks and there was this tingling feeling of something _wrong_ but was unable to pinpoint the cause. Had Naruto existed in a different universe, modern medicine would classify her condition as a pair of collapsed lungs from the shockwave of the explosion paired together, rather nastily, with cardiac arrest. That is to say, the physical trauma had thrown her heart beat off and it was struggling to regain order instead of spasming randomly, unable to pump blood. Under the circumstances, any normal person would be doomed.

Of course on the flip side of things, there was one saving grace of being in her current universe. Even though unaware of what lay bound to her mortal soul, Naruto's tenant worked feverishly to fix what had happened. To Naruto it felt like ages, while it in reality took merely a scant second to control the heart's pacemaker and for a moment stop her heart… and then starting it again, in proper control. The problem of the lungs was fixed quickly as well, a shard of glass that had been imbedded into Naruto's back was pushed out by muscular action and the air that was crushing her lungs from the inside was expelled before the wound closed up. All that needed to happen now was for the body to start breathing again…

=o=

Ino was shell shocked. Technically, she knew that as a ninja death would be something she would see often. But at the tender age of 8 she just couldn't fathom that the person in front of her was… gone. Ignoring the bits of burning wood around them she shuffled forward on her hands and knees to get closer, shaky eyes drinking in the still form of the girl against the tree.

Hesitantly and slowly, Ino reached out with a trembling hand, seeking some sign that this wasn't happening. Her mind was stuck repeating the mantra of "_This can't be real_" as her digits neared the whiskered cheek of the red-head. Unaware of it, Ino held a breath in just as her hand touched the warm and soft cheek of the girl before her.

Ino would _never_ forget what happened next. One of Naruto's hands shot up like lightning and gripped the blonde's wrist, holding the hand against her cheek in a steel-like grip. Simultaneously, she sucked in an enormous gulp of air and snapped her eyes open, the sparkling blue sapphire orbs locking directly with Ino's sea foam tinged blue eyes. She did not even consciously notice the subdued and questioning utterance of her own name from the undeniably _alive_ person in front of her.

A soft mumbled "alive" sneaked past Ino's lips as her mind registered, finally, that Naruto **was** alive. Eyes widening to the size of saucers, Ino crashed roughly against the red haired frame in front of her, the hand not trapped snaking around to hug Naruto close. The emotional weight that had been building since spotting the body of Naruto released itself from Ino with a soft sigh. Her mutter of "Thank god you're alive" was overshadowed by the other girls' incredulous question… "How did I get here?"


End file.
